Once Upon a Valentine's
by spaztronaut
Summary: Felicity just got dumped by her boyfriend. On Valentine's Day. On what should be the worst night of her life, she meets a man who gives her the one thing she needs to survive the heartbreak. Hope.


Felicity sat, legs spread out before her, in an empty aisle at the back of the convenience store, a heart shaped box of chocolate open in her lap.

She took a bite of a buttercream, savoring the cloyingly sweet taste and trying not to think about how miserable her night had been. At least it was almost midnight. Then this awful—like, truly horrendous—Valentine's Day would be over.

A bell chimed near the front of the store, and then voices rang out, indicating that she was no longer alone with just her chocolate and the unsuspecting cashier. Somehow she couldn't bring herself to get up, though. As pathetic as she no doubt looked, she still couldn't bring herself to do anything other than take another bite of buttercream. So what if some strangers saw her going full crazy in the candy aisle? It wasn't like she'd ever see them again. She didn't know anybody in Starling City and just the idea of having to go out and meet new people, to make friends again… She picked up a strawberry cream and popped it in her mouth whole.

"Hang on, I want to get one of those chocolate boxes for Thea," someone said.

"Aww, what a good big brother," someone else—a woman—teased.

A booted foot appeared in her peripheral vision as she chewed her candy, and then, "Um… Are you okay?"

Felicity nodded, shuffling through her box, looking for a caramel. "Physically, at least."

There was an awkward silence and some shuffling. Probably the guy trying to decide whether or not he needed to call for help.

"This kind is pretty good," she said, lifting the box in her lap. "In case you were looking for suggestions."

She figured he'd grab his candy quickly and leave, going back to his friends who were laughing somewhere near the front of the store. Instead he stepped closer, shifting to sit across from her on the cold tiles. Felicity looked up, confused and a little flustered, to see probably the most attractive man she'd ever seen in real life pulling his knees up so he could fit comfortably in the cramped aisle.

"Bad Valentine's Day?" he asked with a sympathetic smile.

It took Felicity a moment to stop choking on her tongue long enough to speak. "Something like that."

He nodded, his gaze knowing and constant. His blue eyes dragged her in, making it hard to look away, and her cheeks heated in embarrassment. It was a testament to his hotness, really. Before she'd made eye contact, she honestly couldn't have cared less if this stranger saw her having a pity party. But now…

"I don't normally do this," she started, flustered and tripping over her words. "Eat candy on the floor of a convenience store. That's not normal behavior for me. But I was supposed to have dinner with my boyfriend… My now ex-boyfriend." A bolt of hurt—or maybe it was panic—shot through her chest at the thought. "And I haven't eaten, but I also don't really want to eat anything. I just want to… I want to…"

She shrugged, helplessly, unsure of what she was even getting at. When she glanced back up at him her eyelashes were wet with tears.

The man's brow furrowed over those stunning blue eyes, his lips parting in a question. "Your boyfriend dumped you on Valentine's Day?"

She didn't answer. Instead she reached down, plucking up another chocolate at random. The texture told her it was one of those crunch bars. Bleh.

"Ollie, man, come on!" another of his friends shouted from the front, but the guy didn't seem too worried.

"Do you want to get out of here?" he asked tentatively, then seemed to realize how that sounded, because he rolled his eyes and shot her a smile. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant… my friends and I are going to Poison."

"To poison what?"

Her confusion seemed to amuse him, because his smile widened and he shook his head. "It's a nightclub. A few blocks over. You're not from Starling are you?"

She shook her head. "I only moved here a month ago."

"Well, I'm Oliver. And if you want to go drink this night away, you are more than welcome to come with me and my friends."

Felicity bit her lip, weighing the pros and cons of his offer. Pro: alcohol. Obviously pro. Con: having to get up and face people.

"I'm paying," Oliver offered, sweetening the pot.

"Ollie, let's go! You're picking out candy for your sister, not trying to impress a—Oh."

Felicity glanced up to see another man, also very attractive, round the aisle cap. He had black hair, and, to his credit, his smile only wavered for a second when he saw her sitting on the ground.

"Tommy, this is…"

"Felicity."

Oliver smiled. "This is Felicity. Felicity, this is my good friend Tommy Merlyn."

"Best friend," Tommy interjected with a charming grin.

"Come to Poison," Oliver offered again. "Make some new friends, forget about your ex."

Felicity huffed a laugh. "Is that their slogan? It's catchy."

Oliver smiled again, the gesture making his eyes crinkle. "So you'll come?"

For the first time since Cooper walked out of the restaurant earlier that night, Felicity smiled. "Okay."

With that, Oliver pulled himself to his feet and grabbed a box of chocolates off the shelf at random. Felicity, feeling equal parts embarrassed and shameless, closed up her own chocolate box and followed him to the register. There were two women with them, apparently, both wearing dresses you'd expect to see in a bar. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she was interrupting a double date, but then Oliver reached out, grabbing the box of candies she was clutching to put it beside his on the counter.

"Oh, you don't have to—"

"Felicity," he said, turning to her with a soft look. "Happy Valentine's Day."

She snorted and shook her head, but let him buy her the half-eaten box of chocolates.

###

They walked the two blocks to Poison.

Helena and Carrie—those were the girls with Oliver and Tommy—initially made nice once Oliver told them Felicity would be accompanying them to Poison, but by the time they'd made it twenty feet from the convenience store both girls had gone back to talking amongst themselves, occasionally trying to drag the guys into their conversation. Gossiping about some friend or other who they secretly thought was a bitch.

Oliver hung back mostly, walking by Felicity's side.

Felicity really wasn't sure what to make of him. He didn't seem pushy or creepy or like he was trying to get in her pants. Maybe, somehow, she'd actually managed to meet a stand up guy who just didn't want her to be alone on Valentine's. She snuck a glance to her right, catching him unawares as he listened to whatever Helena and Tommy were talking about. He certainly was pretty, whatever his deal was.

Felicity had always found Cooper attractive, but Oliver… Oliver was, like, ruggedly handsome in a way she'd never seen outside of magazines and movies. She hadn't asked him about his career, but if the answer was male model she wouldn't be surprised. Tommy was also handsome, in a more refined way. And Helena and Carrie were gorgeous. So gorgeous, in fact, that Felicity felt a bit frumpy beside them, even though she had dressed up for dinner.

Up ahead she noticed a line of people outside a nondescript brick building. It had no windows, but there was a sleek neon sign above the door that read Poison in fancy—almost illegibly fancy—script.

Tommy led them right up to the door, skipping the line completely. The bouncer merely smiled and let them through.

"VIP treatment, huh?," she said, as they stepped into the darkened entryway.

"We know the owner," Oliver said, leaning down to whisper yell into her ear. The music was already so loud she could barely hear him.

"Oh."

Oliver smiled, nodding for her to go ahead of him.

The club was crowded, bodies taking up nearly every square inch of space. A DJ booth sat atop a dais in the far corner, directly across from the bar.

The bar—the only thing Felicity was interested in—took up an entire wall of the club. It was a gleaming neon blue monstrosity, but it suited the strobe lights and lasers blinking across the dance floor. And it was the only place Felicity wanted to be.

She made a beeline for it, Oliver keeping pace even in the crowd. He touched her wrist as they got closer, then wrapped his finger gently around hers and led her to a couple of vacant seats near the back of the room.

"So what do you think?" he asked, leaning in close so she could hear him.

She glanced back, taking in the room, the darkness shattered by strobing lights and dancing laser beams. "I think it's a headache waiting to happen."

Oliver barked a laugh, leaning back in his chair. "That's what I said. It does make for a good distraction though."

Felicity shrugged, watching as one of the bartenders, a short brunette who barely looked old enough to drink, made her way over to them. She smiled wide at Oliver, skipping to a stop in front of him.

"Speedy." He grinned, reaching into the plastic bag from the convenience store and pulling out the unopened box of chocolates. He placed them before her like an offering. "Happy Valentine's Day."

Her smile turned a little mischievous. "Aw, Ollie, did you get me cheap Valentine's chocolate to make up for forgetting my birthday?"

He huffed. "I didn't forget your birthday. I told you, there was a problem with the shipping."

"Mmhmm," the girl said, clearly teasing. When she noticed Felicity sitting awkwardly beside him, she gave her a quick once over before turning back to Oliver. "So who's your friend? I thought you were coming with the Bimbo twins?"

Oliver gave her an exasperated look, but seemed at least partially amused be her assessment of his friends. "Thea, this is Felicity. Felicity, this is my little sister, Thea. She owns this place."

"Are you even old enough to drink?" Felicity's eyes went wide as she realized what she'd just said. "I mean—"

But Thea only laughed. "Surprisingly, you don't need to be able to get into a bar to own one."

"Thea," Oliver said, taking pity on her. "Felicity has had a terrible night so far and I told her I'd make it up to her with free drinks. Think you can hook us up?"

She narrowed her eyes, then looked at Felicity. "What'd he do?"

"Oh, no! We only just met, like, twenty minutes ago. He hasn't done anything." She gulped, twisting her hands together on the glowing bar top. "It was… My boyfriend broke up with me earlier and I…"

She trailed off with a shrug, bracing herself for the inevitable "Your boyfriend dumped you on Valentine's Day!?" followed by platitudes and pity. At this point she just wanted to get as drunk as possible and not have to think about it anymore. And by some miracle, Thea seemed to realize that, because there was no shocked exclamation or cooing over her like she was the most pitiful thing in the world. Thea just bent down, grabbed a bottle and a glass, and poured Felicity a straight shot of tequila.

"This'll help," she said knowingly, sliding the glass across the bar. "On the house."

Smiling gratefully, Felicity grabbed the glass, throwing it back in one gulp. Tequila wasn't exactly Felicity's thing, she was more of a red wine kind of girl, but the warmth of the alcohol making its way through her system was a welcome feeling all the same.

Thea poured out another glass, then moved to get Oliver a glass of whiskey without him having to ask. She left the bottles before excusing herself to take care of some customers at the other end of the bar.

Felicity threw back a second glass and poured herself a third.

"Hey, if you want anything else let me know, okay? Beer, wine, water. Whatever you need."

"Thank you."

She appreciated how kind Oliver was being though it wasn't something she was completely used to. She wondered again if maybe he was just trying to get into her pants—rebounding with him certainly wouldn't be a hardship on her part—but no, she just wasn't getting those vibes. And with how nice his sister seemed to be… maybe they're parents just raised thoughtful children.

"Looks like someone's getting the party started without me!" Tommy squeezed between her and Oliver at the bar, throwing his hand up. "Speedy! Round of shots when you get a chance."

Thea waved him off, mixing drinks for a couple of college aged kids.

"So, Felicity," he drawled, glancing down at her with a smirk. "This boyfriend? What's the story?"

"Tommy," Oliver warned. "Leave her alone."

"No, it's fine. He… It's a long story, but I moved out here for a job and he wasn't exactly happy about it. I thought he was just being stubborn, that he'd come around eventually, but I guess I was wrong."

"How long were you together?" That was Oliver.

"Since freshman year of college. I thought… hmph." She shook her head, then took a sip of her drink.

"And he just dumped you? Tonight? Because he didn't want to do long distance?"

"Tommy!" Oliver snapped.

"Sorry, sorry. But he seems like a douche and you're probably better off."

She huffed. It wasn't so much a laugh, but there was a certain sort of morbid humor to the whole situation. Felicity had really thought Cooper was it. That he was the one. And now, here she was, all alone in a strange city, single, and throwing back tequila shots with a couple of guys she just met.

"Tommy!" a girl yelled from behind them. Felicity didn't look, but she was pretty sure it was Helena. Or maybe Carrie. Or, who knows, maybe it was someone else. Tommy excused himself and ran off to whoever it was.

She sat there, spinning her shot glass in circles for a moment before Oliver spoke.

"I'm sorry about Tommy." He tapped his own glass once against the bar. "He isn't really a relationship kind of guy, so he doesn't really get it."

"Are you?"

"What?" Oliver looked at her, slightly puzzled.

"A relationship type of guy?"

Oliver glanced away, down at his drink. He lifted the glass, taking a long gulp, before refilling it.

"I was in a relationship for awhile," he said quietly. "Unfortunately, I was the douchebag, though. I… I hurt her, and..." He took another drink, then glanced over at her. "Tommy was right. You probably are better off without your boyfriend. I know my ex is better off without me."

Felicity studied him for a moment, taking in the way guilt turned the corners of his mouth down. "I'm sure that's not true."

He huffed a laugh. "As much as your boyfriend's timing sucks, he at least had the guts to end things when he realized it wasn't going to work. I cheated on her."

"Oh."

He looked down at his drink. "With her sister."

Oh.

Yeah, okay. As angry as she was with Cooper right now, at least he hadn't cheated.

"I haven't been a relationship since."

He pushed his glass away, then turned slightly in his seat so he could look out over the dance floor. She followed his gaze, finding Tommy and Carrie dancing and laughing.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have asked."

He spun back to her. "No, no. It's not you. I always feel guilty about it."

"Do you…" She reached for the bottle of tequila again. "Do you regret it?"

"Cheating?" He smiled this self-deprecating little smile that Felicity found far too charming on him. "Yeah. But it wasn't working with us. She wanted things I couldn't give her. I wish I hadn't hurt her the way I did, but I don't want her back, if that's what you mean."

"He was the only guy I've ever really been with." At Oliver's surprised look, she blushed. "I don't mean like that. I had a couple of boyfriends before him, but he was… I thought it was real with us. We were together for almost five years."

Out of the corner of her eye she noticed Thea carrying over a tray of glowing blue glasses, smoke trailing off of them.

"What are those?" she asked as the girl set the tray down between them.

"House special." Thea winked.

"A couple of those," Oliver said, "and you'll know how this place got its name."

That didn't sound especially appetizing, especially considering how the tequila was already starting to affect her, so she politely declined, asking for a bottle of water instead. Tommy and Carrie didn't seem to have the same qualms. Thea waved them over and between the two of them they wiped out half the tray. Oliver just shook his head, watching them as he nursed his glass of whiskey.

Eventually, Tommy and Carrie made their way back to the dance floor, leaving her and Oliver alone. Well, as alone as they could get in a crowded bar.

"I'm sorry," she said after a few minutes. "I'm probably ruining your whole night."

At that, Oliver laughed. "Actually I'm probably having a better time here with you than I would have otherwise."

Felicity gaped at him. "You can't be serious. We've been talking about our exes. On Valentine's Day. Not exactly the making of a great night."

"We could find a better topic, yeah. But I like talking to you." He leaned in, conspiratorially. "Besides, it beats having to fend of Helena from trying to drag me onto the dance floor, which is what I'd be doing if you weren't here."

Felicity giggled. "Then I'm glad I could help."

Oliver smiled at her for a long moment, before leaning back. "Are you hungry?"

"Um…" She hadn't been feeling up to eating when they got here, but now that the tequila was loosening her up a bit… "Yeah, I could eat."

He grinned. "Great. There's a Big Belly a couple blocks down."

"Big Belly?"

He had been getting off his chair to put his jacket back on, but froze to turn back to her. "You've never had Big Belly Burger?"

"Um… no?" She shrugged. "New in town, remember?"

"Oh, I'm about to change your life."

###

"This…" She swallowed down a bite of burger, following it up with a sip of her soda. "This is the best thing I've ever put in my mouth."

Oliver made a grunting sound across from her and she glanced up to see him watching her, a fry halfway to his mouth. She would have blushed at the way his eyes had darkened at her words, but honestly? She just didn't care. She was feeling loose and happy, and the food was just too good to worry about her innuendo. And, secretly, she kind of liked that Oliver seemed to be attracted to her.

It was nice to know she could push things in that direction if she wanted to. That he wouldn't reject her the way… the way Cooper had.

No. No, she wasn't going to go there. She was pleasantly buzzed and enjoying greasy fast food with the most attractive—and kind—man she had ever met. She wasn't going to let thoughts of her ex ruin it.

They'd talked a bit, about non-ex things, as they walked over to Big Belly Burger and currently they were discussing work. Or, she was discussing work. Oliver hadn't had a chance to get a word in edgewise, but that was only because Felicity was so excited about her new job.

"I'm the youngest person in the whole department, but my supervisor is actually kind of great? She actually respects my ideas and has let me take the lead on this new project we're working on. We're rewriting the code for the Palmer Tech's security systems and it's a huge deal."

"It's great you like your job so much. I'm currently training under my dad to take over his company and I wish I enjoyed it half as much as you seem to."

"Oh? What do you do?"

He leaned forward, tilting his head slightly so he could see out of the window beside them. "You see that building?" he asked, pointing at one of the skyscrapers in the distance.

"Queen Consolidated?" she asked, following his gaze. "Your dad owns Queen Consolidated?"

She turned back to see him watching her with a gleam in his eye.

"Oliver Queen." He stretched a hand across the table for her to shake.

She wiped her own hands clean before taking his, a mischievous smirk on her face. "Does that make us rivals then?"

"I hope not."

The soft, earnest way he said it nearly caught Felicity's breath. She pulled back, fixing her attention on her burger. They talked some more, finishing up their meals, before Felicity sighed. It was getting late and she really needed to get home.

"Oh," she said out loud, as something occurred to her. "I really hope Cooper had the forethought to get a hotel room. Or a plane ticket."

"You think he might be at your place?" Oliver asked, crumpling up his wrappers and cleaning up their napkins.

"I don't know," she admitted. "Coop is… not always the most emotionally intelligent guy. And I'm not sure he was actually planning to break up with me in the middle of dinner, so…" She huffed. "I really hope he isn't there. I don't know if I could deal with that tonight."

Oliver nodded, then picked up her garbage and took it over to the trash can near the door. When he came back he helped her slide out of the booth and put her coat on.

"I can come with you." He said it tentatively, as if he was afraid she might take it the wrong way. "If you want. Make sure he's not there, or make sure he leaves if he is."

It probably wasn't necessary. Cooper was a jerk, but he was a harmless jerk. If she asked him to leave he would. But there was a part of her, a part she hadn't known existed until this very moment, that wanted Cooper to see her with Oliver. She wanted him to know that she would be okay without him. More than okay.

Feeling just the tiniest bit guilty about that, she nodded at Oliver. "That would be nice, thank you."

###

For the first time since she'd met Oliver, an awkward silence settled over them as they drove to her townhouse.

Oliver had ordered a car and they were both sitting in the back, but neither said much. She was nervous about maybe seeing Cooper and Oliver… He was rubbing his fingers together nervously, though what he had to be nervous about, she didn't know.

She watched out the window as they pulled up in front of her house. The lights were out and she was pretty sure no one was inside.

Something gave way in her chest at that. Something heavy that had been there since Cooper walked away at the restaurant earlier that night. It was really over with him. He was gone.

She was sure she'd have a really long cry about it once she was alone, but for right now she was… okay. Not good, but okay.

Oliver got out of the car and together they walked to her front door. She opened it, flipping on the lights and calling out just to make sure no one was inside. When no one answered she turned back to Oliver.

"Guess he didn't feel like sticking around."

"I'm sorry, Felicity." And the thing was, he really did look sorry. "Did you want him to be here?"

She shrugged. "No. Not really. Though I wouldn't have minded rubbing you in his face a little."

He chuckled at that.

"Sorry." She shook her head sheepishly. "You've been so nice and here I am, a total stranger, taking advantage of your time to get back at my boyfriend."

He shot her a small smile. "It's worth it to make a new friend."

"Just a friend?"

She wasn't sure where that question came from. And the way she said it, all breathy... What was she doing?

Oliver blinked a little, exhaled deeply as if steadying himself, then reached out to twine his fingers between hers.

"For now."

He smiled kindly at her, squeezed her fingers once, then let go. He stepped back, pushing his hands in his pockets.

Oh.

"I thought you didn't do relationships." She said it teasingly, trying to alleviate some of the intensity that had settled over them. The intensity she'd created when she'd asked that stupid question.

He shrugged. "Maybe I just haven't found someone worth trying with."

Something about the way he said it, his unwavering gaze… Tears started to fork in the corners of her eyes.

"I can't right now." She sniffled slightly. "I just… I…"

"I know." He nodded seriously. "I'm not asking for anything, Felicity. But I like you. And I'd like to get to know you better, even if that's just as friends."

She nodded, wiping at her eyes. "Friends. I can do friends."

He grinned and finally some of the tension evaporated. They exchanged numbers and promises of getting coffee over the weekend. There was something there between them, she knew, and maybe someday they could explore that, but for right now she was grateful he was willing to give her that time.

"I'm really glad I met you, Oliver."

He smiled, his eyes crinkling prettily. "Goodnight, Felicity."

Then he leaned in, pressing a kiss on her cheek, close enough to the corner of her mouth that it wasn't strictly platonic, but Felicity found she didn't mind.

"Goodnight," she whispered, stepping back into her apartment.

He waited for her to close the door before going back to the car, and she immediately ran over to the window to watch as he got in and drove off.

Somehow on one of the worst nights of her life he'd given her something to… hope for. And, yeah, she probably had a hard couple of weeks in her future. She could feel the tears swelling in her already now that she was alone, but she could also still feel Oliver's lips against the corner of her mouth. Still picture his incredibly blue eyes and kind smile.

She changed out of her dress and heels and into her favorite comfy sweatpants, crawled into bed, and cried for the man and the relationship she'd spent years believing in. But in the morning, when she picked up her phone to find a text from Oliver, just a simple good morning, she found that she could breathe a little easier.

And, years from now, when she looked into Oliver's eyes as they exchanged their vows, or as she squeezed his hand while giving birth to their daughter, she'd remember that night. Remember the kindness in his eyes when he found her, a complete mess eating chocolate on the floor of a convenience store, and every time she did, she'd fall a little bit more in love with him.


End file.
